Inland Empire pursuit suspect has close calls with train, big rig

The driver of a black SUV led Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies on a high-speed pursuit through the Inland Empire on Wednesday.

The dangerous pursuit got under way just after 6 p.m. in San Dimas when deputies tried to stop a reckless driver who refused to pull over. The man took off down the freeway and later raced along surface streets.

At one point, the suspect seemed to get lost near Ontario International Airport. Several minutes later, he smashed through a railroad crossing in Colton. The gate was down because a Metrolink train was about a quarter of a mile away from the crossing. The guardrail has since been repaired.

But that was just one of many close calls for the reckless driver, who drove through a second flashing railroad crossing. The suspect also cut off a big rig as he sped down the 10 Freeway. He hit speeds of at least 80 mph. On surface streets, he ran through several red lights and stop signs and drove on the wrong side of the road. His vehicle sideswiped at least one parked vehicle in the Ontario area.

The driver got back onto the eastbound 10 Freeway in San Bernardino at about 6:56 p.m. The chase ended shortly after that in Redlands as the suspect's Chevrolet Suburban ran out of gas.

The SUV slowly pulled over as CHP units pulled up behind. The driver exited the vehicle with his hands raised. Officers directed him to move backward onto the ground, and he was promptly arrested.

Miraculously, no one was injured during the pursuit. In the SUV, authorities said the dashboard was inexplicably torn out. They also found two bottles of malt liquor and chocolate pudding.